The 'Motion in corruption' of Donne's Anniversaries -- Marvell's watery maze at Nun Appleton -- 'Lights framed like nets' in Sir Thomas Browne's garden -- Eve's 'Grateful digressions' and the birth of reflection -- Feminine disguise in the Hind and the panther -- The obscure progress of satire in Dryden's late preface -- Epilogue: wandered too far? Swift's monstrous voice
Summary
To digress in 17th-century England carried a range of meaning. This book demonstrates that early modern writers trained in verbal contest developed labyrinthine voices that captured the ambiguities of political occasion and aristocratic patronage, anatomizing enemies and mourning personal loss
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 306-334) and index
